Still haven't found what you're looking for? Try U2 Eucharist

November 09, 2007|By Janine Schaults, Special to the Tribune

On The Town's weekly roundup of 5 activities spanning the leisure spectrum.

1. RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR

Enjoy a slice of the Big Apple this holiday season with the famed Rockettes and a 75-year-old tradition that incorporates dancing, singing and an overall surge of good will and good cheer. It's like Disney on caffeine. If you can't recite the aggravatingly catchy commercial jingle that plays every year around this time, then you just don't watch enough television. The Rosemont Theatre may not be Radio City Music Hall, but everything else from the New York production remains pretty much intact. The biggest draw, of course, is the long-legged, short-skirted Rockettes and their chorus line of high kicks and synchronized dances.

What more is there to learn about this athlete's life? The former Chicago Bear and one of the best running backs of all time released an autobiography in the 1970s that inspired the historic made-for-TV movie "Brian's Song," which depicted the friendship between Sayers and his terminally ill teammate Brian Piccolo. Now No. 40 has a memoir on the shelves entitled "Sayers: My Life and Times," in which the player-turned-entrepreneur muses on the current state of football and delivers an important message to players on how to respect the game, prepare for the future and spread the lavish wealth the sport affords them. Building community -- whether on a team, in business or at home -- rings out as Sayers' true legacy.

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Anderson's Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson, Naperville

Price: Free; 630-355-2665 or www.andersonsbookshop.com

3. HERMAN'S HERMITS STARRING PETER NOONE

Bands are fractious, which is why so many break up before their prime or disintegrate in the throes of success. It's also why you can find multiple tours -- by supposedly the same band -- on the road simultaneously. Notice this showing of British Invasion darlings, Herman's Hermits, identifies itself as the Peter Noone version. Drummer Barry Whitwam tours Europe under his own Herman's Hermits moniker. Nevertheless Noone brings his sandy-haired, chipmunk-cheeked self to Elgin to serenade the long-ago screaming girls-turned-women with hits "I'm Into Something Good" and "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter." Mrs. Brown probably has a few lovely granddaughters by now. Or great-granddaughters. This one's dedicated to all the nostalgia addicts.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Hemmens Cultural Center, 150 Dexter Ct., Elgin

Price: $35-$25; 847-931-5900 or www.hemmens.org

4. BERWYN CARES 2ND ANNUAL KIDS CONCERT

Designed to fund teacher grants in Berwyn's school district, this concert caters to those who will most benefit from the effort: the kids. The group (Citizens Aligned to Renew Education for Students) hopes to drum up support for this burb's education system and they've put together quite a lineup of acts with local roots. The aptly named The Boogers perform their hard driving, purely chord driven rock 'n' roll for the youngsters in a style reminiscent of The Ramones. Of course, their songs are crafted with age-appropriate material. The only sedation going on here is a nice afternoon nap. Snot enough? Mr. Matt and Joe the Show bring classic kid favorites to the fold.

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: FitzGerald's, 6615 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn

Price: $5; 708-703-2956 or www.berwyncares.org

5. U2 EUCHARIST

Detractors criticize U2 frontman and humanitarian Bono for acting as if he has a God complex, but personal preferences aside for the Irish activist, the band's music speaks spiritual volumes. Using U2's soul-searching anthems in place of traditional hymns during the service, First Presbyterian Church intends to lure younger Christians back into the pews and invigorate the proceedings. Created by Sarah Dylan Breuer back in 2004 in Maryland, churches across the country picked up on the idea and it has become quite the fundraiser. First Presbyterian donates collections from the service to Cooperative Housing Foundation International, a fav of Bono's campaign to provide aid to Darfur. The church's own Revelation Band performs the hits "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "One."